10 Things I Have Learned from my First Month Abroad

Time is a funny concept. A year ago, I sent in my application for my semester abroad. 4 months ago, I received my acceptance letter from the University of Exeter confirming I was enrolled as an international exchange student for the 2026 winter term. Nearly a month and a half ago was the last time I saw my friends, and a month ago my mother and I exchanged tears and hugs in the Halifax Airport. Yet suddenly, in a single breath, a month in England has passed. It is surreal to think about how quickly time passes, and how suddenly over a year’s worth of planning, appointments, payments, and emails have catapulted me into complete unfamiliarity. This month has been challenging, scary, chaotic, incredible, and full of lessons. And what better way to commemorate my month abroad than by reflecting on ten things I have learned from my time thus far.

1)    The first step of doing things alone is often the hardest. Getting on that plane was the scariest and most exhilarating thing I have done in a long time. A few tears were shed as I watched the familiar ground of Canada recede to a tiny pinprick, and I pictured what my family and friends were doing in the exact moment I was flying 4000kms away from them for the next 5 months. It seemed impossible to picture a life without them by my side, and even more so to imagine how I would find my way in a country in which I was utterly, completely alone. Yet pushing through those tears was the best thing I could have ever done for myself.

2)    Sadness and loss are allowed to exist within gratitude. I have traveled around England, met so many interesting people, and am planning weeks of vacations around Europe during the spring. I have so much to feel grateful for, and I feel this gratitude every day. Yet the emotional whirlwind of this exchange has been like nothing I have ever felt before. After days of emotional highs come hard lows and periods of extreme heartache. I miss my friends and my family dearly, and it can be extremely difficult to follow their lives in Antigonish without feeling the immense pain of my separation. Yet this emotional challenge has taught me so much about myself and my social and emotional needs. I have grown so much within this short period of time, and it feels rewarding to note these changes.

3)    Do not wish the time away. The first few weeks were long and difficult. I spent many hours navigating a new social world while missing my former life dearly. I found myself wishing that the weeks would move a little quicker and I was looking forward to my reunion with my loved ones. And suddenly I blinked, and a month had passed. It is terrifying to think about how quickly time moves, and how one day I will wake up and look back on this time nostalgically. Truthfully, it is scary to consider how soon this will all be over. This tug-o-war of time has forced me to slow down and enjoy every second out here, even the days spent doing nothing but schoolwork. Time will pass whether I want it to or not.

4)    Winter in England gets old really fast. During my first few weeks, I was on cloud nine. Winter in January was ten degrees and green, something I had never experienced before. And then the rain came. Every. Day. For a month. Since I have been here, the sun has been out a grand total of five times – most days are a mess of grey skies and a combination of aggressive mist and light rain that has been surprisingly debilitating to daily life. I know you’re rolling your eyes at me, Antigonish, with your snow days and freezing cold temperatures. But I would take a snowy Canadian winter any day (think of all the activities you can do!) over the dreariness of an English grey sky.

5)    How to say yes to more things. Being in an entirely new environment has forced me out of my comfort zone way more than anything at home. The first two weeks were crammed full of social activities for international students, many I would likely not have signed up for were they hosted at StFX. Yet it was by saying yes to more things that I met the  incredible people I am so lucky to call my friends. Two Canadians, three New-Zealanders, many Australians, two Americans, and one Ukrainian, amongst others. It has been wonderful getting to know so many people from all parts of the world, and having people who understand the rollercoaster of being an international student helps create a home away from home.

6)    Friends come in many different forms, and that’s okay. In the weeks prior to my departure, I was worried about making friendships that would feel like those I treasure most. What if I didn’t find people with whom I would feel at home? And to be honest, I didn’t. But I learned that not every friendship needs to feel like the ones you have with your best friends. The friend group we have created here is founded on common interests, a love of travel, and our shared experience of being international students – and it’s been a beautiful thing to watch bloom. It has also challenged me to put in more work into my friendships, forcing me to stimulate conversation and learn what it takes to grow friendships. You can’t have a village without being a villager, and there is no better way to learn this lesson than by starting the village yourself.  

7)    British people love the Canadian accent. It seems silly, but they really do. Students and friends are constantly commenting on my accent and telling me how much they love Canada or things from Canada (Heated Rivalry has been a topic of much discussion). Being in England is a great way to build up your patriotism, in case you were wondering.

8)    Embrace opportunities as they come. Last minute day trips to nearby towns, booking spontaneous flights during “cheap season” (see you soon Copenhagen!!), and saying yes to the little voice in your head that knows you would enjoy something. I have become much more comfortable with spontaneity and have even come to love its unpredictability, so much so that, contrary to my initial plan, I have joined the soccer team in Exeter and have fallen back in love with a sport I thought would never feel the same. When the familiar is scraped away, it leaves room for opportunities I would have only dreamed of in the past. Because when else am I going to be in my 20s in England?

9)    How much I love poutine. Seriously. I crave it every day. If there is one food or item I miss from Canada, it’s poutine. I would do just about anything for that mess of fries, gravy, and cheese. First stop once I’m back in Antigonish: Mezza’s chicken shawarma poutine and my best friends’ couch.

10)  That above all, this experience will mark one of the dearest times in my life. There are difficult days, sure. There have been and will continue to be moments of stress, of sadness, of fear. Yet at the core of this experience lives an unimaginable gratitude and a feeling of living out something that has been a dream of mine for quite some time. It’s a very acute feeling of creating memories and knowing in those exact moments that these memories are ones I will look back fondly on for the rest of my life. This is what I will take away from these few months, and it is what I will miss the most about my time here when it is all over.